Stay-at-Home Extended until April 26

COLORADO GOVERNOR JARED POLIS EXTENDED THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER UNTIL AT LEAST APRIL 26TH JUST AS NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK GETS UNDER WAY AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY THAT THE WORST OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS YET TO COME. YOU’RE WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK, BROUGHT TO YOU BY EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS OF DURANGO AND CORTEZ. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE. GOVERNOR POLIS EXTENDED THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER FOR COLORADANS UNTIL AT LEAST APRIL 26TH FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF NEW COVID-19 MODELING DATA THAT ESTIMATE PEAK INFECTION RATES WILL OCCUR ANY WHERE BETWEEN MAY 8TH TO SEPTEMBER 14TH DEPENDING UPON HOW WELL STATE RESIDENTS COMPLY WITH THE ORDER. THE MODELING DATA WERE PRODUCED BY A TEAM FROM THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT THE C U ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO IN DENVER AND BOULDER. THE STUDY WAS RELEASED ON MONDAY, APRIL 6TH, IRONICALLY AT THE START OF NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK. THE RESEARCH TEAM BASED ITS ESTIMATES ON REPORTED CASES TO DATE. ALTHOUGH THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT REPORTS MORE THAN 51 HUNDRED CASES OF COVID-19 IN THE STATE, THE RESEARCH TEAM ESTIMATES THAT 17 TO 18 THOUSAND RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN INFECTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS AND THAT 30 TO 40 PERCENT OF THE STATE’S POPULATION WILL BECOME INFECTED. IN A VIRTUAL NEWS CONFERENCE ON APRIL 6TH, STATE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS WARNED RESIDENTS TO VIEW THE DATA CAUTIOUSLY, BECAUSE LACK OF TESTING TO DATE DOESN’T OFFER A TRUE PICTURE OF THE EXTENT OF THE VIRUS’S SPREAD. THE RESEARCH TEAM ESTIMATED THE EPIDEMIC CURVE BASED ON COMPLIANCE WITH THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER. IF NO SOCIAL DISTANCING OCCURRED, OR ZERO PERCENT COMPLIANCE, THE EPIDEMIC COULD PEAK IN EARLY MAY WITH MORE THAN 220 THOUSAND INFECTIONS AND MORE THAN 16 HUNDRED DEATHS. IF COLORADO MAINTAINED 60 PERCENT COMPLIANCE THROUGH THE SUMMER, THE PEAK COULD OCCUR IN MID-SEPTEMBER WITH FEWER THAN 65 THOUSAND INFECTIONS WITH ABOUT 900 DEATHS. THE DATA WERE DEVELOPED TO HELP STATE MEDICAL OFFICIALS PLAN FOR HOSPITALIZATIONS AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT RATHER THAN DECIDING WHEN TO LIFT THE ORDER. THE LONGER THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER REMAINS IN PLACE AND THE GREATER COMPLIANCE, THE LESS IMPACT IT WILL HAVE ON THE MEDICAL SYSTEM AND ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO BECOME ILL OR DIE. HOWEVER, POLIS NOTED THAT THE LONGER THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER IS IN PLACE, THE MORE THE ECONOMY WILL SUFFER.  THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE THIS WEEK HOVERED AT FOUR PERCENT.  IF YOU’D LIKE TO SEE THE MODELING GRAPHS AND THE VIRTUAL NEWS CONFERENCE, VISIT THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT AT COLORADO DOT GOV AT C D P H E. HANKS FOR WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK, CREATED LOCALLY, DELIVERED LOCALLY AND SUPPORTED BY LOCAL BUSINESSES. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE.